


She's in a Band

by BardicInspo



Category: Runaways (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-02
Updated: 2018-01-02
Packaged: 2019-02-26 13:52:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13237098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BardicInspo/pseuds/BardicInspo
Summary: “Yeah, here,” Karolina said, handing Nico a sharpie from behind the bar, “but you can just put it right in my phone if you want,” she added, reaching for her phone in her pocket.“No, we need the full effect of getting a girl in a band’s number,” Nico said with a smile, “can I see your arm?”ORKarolina works as a bartender at the same bar Nico's band plays at on Thursday nights.





	She's in a Band

Karolina wiped down the counters of a nearly empty bar. Bartending was far from her first choice in jobs, but the tips were nice and when you’re trying to put yourself through school, well, you take what you can get. Compared to the other bars in town this was probably the best one to work at. It wasn’t a bunch of flashing lights and dance music blaring through speakers. They had live bands come in almost every night, and the atmosphere as a whole felt much more natural than what you would experience elsewhere.

There were other benefits to working there as well, for example, the bassist of the band that always played on Thursday nights. Her name was Nico; Karolina had managed to talk to her twice over the past two months, both were when she was bringing water for the band up to the stage, but she’d swear to you that they always made eye-contact while the band was playing.

It was almost seven and Nico’s band would be arriving any minute to get ready for the night, and around eight people would begin arriving.

The door clicked open and Karolina looked up to see her two best friends, Chase and Gert, walking in, “so, you gonna talk to her tonight?” asked a smirking Chase as the two approached the counter.

“Probably not,” groaned the blonde. Seeing the disappointed expressions on her friends’ faces she added, “I can’t! I’ve tried, but I just freeze up and end up making a fool of myself. When I brought her water to the stage two weeks ago she said, ‘thank you’ and when I went to leave the stage a tripped over her amp and sprained my ankle.”

“It’s not that bad. Things are always a bit awkward when you first try and talk to someone,” said Gert.

“Yeah, when Gert and I met she spilled a cup of hot coffee all over my lap and table, ruining all my math notes,” added Chase, with a reassuring smile.

“Chase!” exclaimed Gert, lightly hitting him on the arm, “if you hadn’t talked my manager down I would have been fired. He was terrified you were going to sue the place.”

“What? It’s true,” he shrugged, “anyway, Karolina, you can do it. Plus, we’re here for moral support.”

“Yeah, we’ve got your back,” added Gert.

“You guys are like, the perfect couple. It’s too high of a standard,” she whined, “I can’t do this.”

“Yes, you can!” said Gert as the door for the bar opened again as the band arrived, “and now it’s time. Now or never, Karolina.”

“It’s not now or never, they play here every Thursday,” said the blonde, rolling her eyes.

“Whatever, that’s not the point.”

“Actually, it’s exa-”

“Hey, is it cool if we set up a camera behind the bar to film our set tonight?” came Nico’s voice, as she approached the group from the stage.

“Uh, y-yeah, yeah that’s totally cool. Really cool,” Karolina replied, stumbling through her words.

“Awesome, thanks,” smiled Nico, “I’ll tell Alex and he’ll come set it up in a minute,” she added before turning and walking back towards the band.

Chase and Gert raised their eyebrows, exchanging a look, “okay, she’s a mess,” said Chase. Gert cringed slightly and nodded, turning to Karolina saying, “yeah, you’re kind of a mess.”

Alex came walking over holding a video camera in one hand and a tripod in the other, “thanks for letting us set it up back here,” he smiled.

“No problem!” answered Karolina.

“Hey, Chase. How are you?” Alex said after glancing at Karolina’s companions.

“I’m good, relieved that engineering exam is over with.”

“Tell me about it, dude. If he wasn’t curving our grades so hard I’m pretty sure I’d be failing.”

“Oh, believe me, me too,” laughed Chase. Karolina and Gert exchanged a look of confusion at the two boys’ interactions, neither realizing they knew each other.

“This is my girlfriend, Gert, and I’m sure you’ve met Karolina since she works here,” said Chase.

“It’s nice to meet you,” he smiled, “and we haven’t really met formally, but more or less.”

“I didn’t know you were in a band,” said Chase.

“Yeah! I play guitar and sing, Nico plays bass and writes most of the lyrics, and Victor plays drums,” he turned towards the stage where the other two were finishing setting up, “hey, guys, come say hi,” he yelled.

Victor and Nico made their way over to where the group was, greeting everyone as they walked over.

“This is Chase, we have class together. He’s also an engineering major. And this is Gert, and Karolina, who we all kind of know.”

“So, Nico, you play bass?” asked Gert

“Yeah, I play a few other instruments too, but bass was the first one I learned, and it’s still the one I love the most,” she smiled.

“That’s awesome, Karolina has actually been talking about how she was interested in learning to play. Maybe you cou-,” Gert started, pausing when she saw the warning look Karolina was giving her.

“Maybe you could show her a few things,” Chase filled in for his girlfriend, placing an arm around Gert’s shoulders with a goofy grin aimed at Nico, which turned into an equally goofy smirk when he made eye contact with Karolina.

“I’d be happy to show you a few things, if you want,” Nico said, breaking the staring contest between Chase and Karolina.

“Oh, uh, sure. That would be nice,” Karolina said nervously.

“We should probably finish setting up,” Victor said, glancing at the people who had just started filing into the bar, “it was nice meeting you guys,” he smiled.

“Yeah, you guys too,” said Gert, Chase and Karolina nodding in agreement.

The band made their way back to the stage. Alex and Victor on either side of Nico nudging her with their elbows, who pushed both of them off, a slight blush present on her cheeks, causing the two boys to high five over her head.

 

The night wound on, the band’s set nearing its end. Karolina stood behind the counter, with Gert and Chase in front of her at the counter watching as well.

“She definitely looked at you some type of way,” said Chase nodding definitively.

“I don’t know guys, I think you’re reading too much into it.”

“And I think you’re just being modest, come on Karolina, you’re a babe! Not only that but you’re intelligent, kind, and just an overall catch!” said Gert encouragingly.

“Yeah, and a babe,” smirked Chase, resulting in another light slap on the arm from Gert, “and all those other things,” he added with a chuckle.

“Thanks guys,” she smiled warmly at the two, “I just don’t even know if she likes girls.”

“But you’ll never know if you don’t try,” responded Chase.

“I guess you’re right. I just need,” she sighed, “to actually talk to her.”

“She’ll be lucky to have you,” Gert said smiling softly, glancing at the stage before continuing, “and it looks like now is your chance.”

The crowd at the bar was beginning to leave, and the band was starting to pack everything up. Nico finished getting her bass together, and started to make her way over too where Karolina stood at the bar.

“And that’s our cue to leave,” said Gert, grabbing Chase’s hand and walking towards Alex and Victor who were still on stage.

“Uh, hey,” said Nico as she approached Karolina, slipping her hands into her back pockets, a slight pink tinge on her cheeks.

“Hey, Nico,” Karolina replied nervously, “look I have to be honest with you about something.”

“Okay, what’s up?” asked Nico with a confused expression.

“I don’t really want to learn to play bass, not that it’s not, uh, a super cool instrument. And you’re obviously really cool, but I ju-” she started to rush out.

“Hey, it’s okay, calm down,” Nico said with a slight laugh.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to lie to you, my friends just…” she trailed off.

“You’re friends just what?”

“This is going to sound silly,” the blonde groaned.

“I don’t think anything you say could sound silly,” Nico smiled lightly.

Karolina blushed, “okay,” she took a deep breath, “I’ve kind of had a crush on you since I started working here, and that was their way of trying to get me to talk to you,” she sheepishly explained, rubbing the back of her neck.

“I don’t think that sounds silly at all. Alex is the one who does all the video stuff but he sent me over to ask about setting the camera up because him and Victor have been trying to get me to talk to you too.”

“Wait, really?” asked the blonde, relief evident in her voice.

“Yes, really,” nodded Nico, smiling, “do you want my number? I’m, uh, sure it’ll be a big weight off my friends’ shoulders for them to not have to worry about my love life so much,” she laughed.

“I’d love that, and I’m sure my friends will appreciate that too,” answered a giggling blonde.

“Do you have something to write with?”

“Yeah, here,” Karolina said, handing Nico a sharpie from behind the bar, “but you can just put it right in my phone if you want,” she added, reaching for her phone in her pocket.

“No, we need the full effect of getting a girl in a band’s number,” Nico said with a smile, “can I see your arm?”

A blushing Karolina held her arm out and rested it on the counter for the other girl. Nico took Karolina’s hand in her own and put the sharpie on her forearm, and wrote her number, “and there you go,” she said, capping the marker and handing it back to the blonde. Karolina’s cheeks burned, her arm tingling slightly from where Nico’s hands were.

“I’ll make good use of it, promise,” said the blushing girl.

“You better,” Nico said with a wink, which was quickly followed by a laugh, “I better get back to my band, but I hope we talk soon.”

Karolina looked down at the number on her arm, where she noticed a heart drawn at the end of it. She traced Nico’s writing, and glanced up at the other girl’s retreating form.

Chase and Gert’s grinning expressions entered her view, “hell yeah!” they both exclaimed, high fiving one another.

The blonde laughed and shook her head, “if that didn’t work out so well I’d hate you guys.”

“But it did work out well!” said Gert, the huge grin still gracing her face.

“So, when do we get to go on double dates?” asked Chase.

“Woah, let’s take it one step at a time, guys.”

“Well, when are you going to see her?”

“I don’t know, but hopefully soon,” smiled the blonde, looking up at the stage in a slight daze.

Gert and Chase exchanged smirks, before looking back at the stage where Alex and Victor were both clearly teasing Nico as well, who glances over at Karolina, the two girls exchanging bashful smiles.

“I don’t think we’ll have to worry about it being long,” laughed Gert.

“No, not at all. Kids will probably be on the way soon too,” smirked Chase, causing Karolina to roll her eyes.

“I take it back, I think I do hate you guys.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, guys! I hope you enjoyed this. I was working on another Runaways story for Gert and Karolina but I'm having writers block, and I had this short idea so I thought I'd write it while figuring out what to do with the other one.  
> Feel free to follow me on tumblr: onceuponaharmony.tumblr.com


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